State of conservation of World Heritage Properties - Isole Eolie (Aeolian Islands)

3.Welcomes the positive activities undertaken by the State Party, in particular, the development of clear boundaries for the proposed Lipari Reserve and closer collaboration between the two relevant regional authorities;

4.Notes with concern that the PUMEX rehabilitation plan for the mining area is likely to threaten the integrity of the property, and that the World Heritage status is not taken into account in this document;

5.Notes with serious concern the conservation and management issues affecting the outstanding universal value and integrity of the property as assessed by the March 2007 World Heritage Centre/IUCN mission, in particular the lack of a management plan and management structure, continued mining activity at the PUMEX site within the World Heritage property, the lack of a deadline for completion of stockpiled material removal, as well as the lack of regulatory and other mechanisms to control port developments and coastal infrastructure;

6.Urges the State Party to implement the following key recommendations of the March 2007 mission immediately:

a)Stop all mining extractive activity in areas within and adjacent to the World Heritage property, and prohibit new mines from being opened;

b)Set a deadline for removal of stockpiled pumice material;

c)Prepare a Management Plan making use of the most updated scientific data available and including the identification of funding resources to implement it, as well as staffing, monitoring, and awareness-raising;

e)Undertake a thorough and comprehensive environmental impact assessment of the proposed enlargement of the port of Lipari, including an analysis of the impact on the World Heritage property by cruise ships;

f)Institute a science-based project of vegetation restoration using native plants and a sound, creative plan for conversion of the mining infrastructure to serve educational and ecotourism needs, in conjunction with a programme of reemployment and/or retraining of the affected mining workers;

g)Ratify the redrawn boundaries for the proposed Lipari Reserve and submit a proposal for a corresponding boundary modification of the World Heritage property in line with the Operational Guidelines;

h)Carefully consider the creation of a Regional Park for all the Aeolian Islands; and

i)Consider, in light of the availability of updated scientific data on the islands' natural values, to submit a re-nomination of the World Heritage property to include additional natural criteria and to protect important coastal and marine habitats;

7) Requests the State Party to submit by 1 February 2008 a progress report including all issues indicated above for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 32nd session in 2008, at which the Committee will consider the possible inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger if the State Party does not take effective measures to address the key recommendations of the 2007 monitoring mission and to prevent the loss of the outstanding universal value and integrity of this property.